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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28298928">The Sixth Noël</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stefanyeah/pseuds/Stefanyeah'>Stefanyeah</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Mad Scientist Christmas [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Muse (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Christmas Fluff, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 01:07:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,184</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28298928</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stefanyeah/pseuds/Stefanyeah</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>With all the mad scientists behind bars, this will be a fun and undisturbed Christmas. I’m sure.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Matt Bellamy/Dom Howard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Mad Scientist Christmas [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/604177</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Sixth Noël</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/TamarElmensdorp/gifts">TamarElmensdorp</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Another Christmas in a most interesting year. (Honestly, this should’ve been the year to see SoaD and RatM and ELO. Guess how many of those bands I saw?) Either way, it’s time for something more lighthearted and thus, we shall see how our mad scientist and his assistant fare.</p>
<p>Thanks to Mistress Poppet for helping to find (read: coming up with) new terms that MUSE could be an acronym for.</p>
<p>This year’s prompts from Tamar were: blood, crying, comfort</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Matthew sat in his laboratory bent over Officer Marianne’s right arm.</p>
<p>It had been a year since he had had to replace her arm with a makeshift construction and he had since replaced that first crude construction with a much more elaborate and delicate version. Still, Marianne needed regular checks. She said it still needed fine-tuning, she kept destroying her pencils. Matthew was sure she just wanted to pester him into installing a death ray.</p>
<p>Today, however, the officer wasn’t her usual chipper self.</p>
<p>Matthew sighed and looked up from the cable he had just been inspecting. „I do notice when you’re trying to suppress sobbing. I‘m not completely socially inept.“</p>
<p>Marianne shifted and would have pulled her arm away, if Matthew hadn’t grabbed it to keep it still. „Leo left me,“ she admitted. „Said he can’t deal with…“ She tried to pull the mechanical arm away once again. When Matthew growled and tightened his hand around it, she shrugged and waved her left hand at it. „It’s cold and I’m different and…“ Marianne shrugged again. „You do realise, you’ve ruined my life when you allowed yourself be kidnapped? Now the love of my life has left me, because he can’t deal with this thing.“</p>
<p>„I’ve saved your life with that thing,“ Matthew retorted. „If that’s all it takes for him to leave the love of his life, it can’t have been very deep to start with.“</p>
<p>Marianne stared at him. She drew her lower lip into her mouth, chewing on it as her eyes became distinctly wetter.</p>
<p>„Oh no, don’t you dare crying for that bastard,“ Matthew growled. „He’s a philistine and simpleton. For one,“ he pointed his screwdriver at the bronze fingers, „this is a masterpiece, and also… well…“ he gesticulate with the screwdriver before bending down over the open arm.</p>
<p>„Also?“ Marianne inquired.</p>
<p>„Move your fingers,“ Matthew just grunted without looking up.</p>
<p>Marianne did as requested and wiggled her fingers. The movements of that hand had become as smooth as those of a natural hand a few months ago. „You’re not so bad, either, as a friend,“ Marianne stated. „Could have lost my arm to saving a worse man.“</p>
<p>Matthew just grunted something and closed the arm again, tightening the last screw.</p>
<p>„I still think a death ray would be a mayor improvement.“</p>
<p>„Most certainly not,“ Matthew replied. „You’d end up blowing up the whole town and I’ll be blamed for that.“</p>
<p>„I wouldn’t.“</p>
<p>„You’re too impulsive to be given such a power and you won’t change my mind.“</p>
<p>„One day you’ll change your mind,“ she retorted and lifted her arm, looking at the bronze fingers. „They quite delicate. Maybe you should consider taking up work in this field, now that you’re a good mad scientist.“</p>
<p>Matthew just lifted his eyebrows and pointed at the door.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>„Sheriff Palakiko invited us to dinner tomorrow,“ Marianne said as they were walking through the corridor.</p>
<p>„Dominic has said so,“ Matthew sighed. He looked over his shoulder towards the door behind which he knew his assistant would be decorating the Christmas tree. Matthew had to remember to take out the diamond of his Ultimate Death Ray of Eternal Terror and Everlasting Existential Pain so Dominic could use his Snow Ray this year.</p>
<p>He pointed at the door at the end of the corridor. „Forgot something in the lab; you’ll find your way outside.“</p>
<p>Marianne nodded and waved her goodbye at him. „I’ll see you tomorrow at the sheriff’s.“</p>
<p>Matthew heard her steps until the door opened and closed as he walked back into the lab. He quickly found his newest Death Ray and carefully removed the diamond from its cage. With a gentle stroke along the smooth barrel, he turned back to leave his lab and find Dominic.</p>
<p>However, a knock on the door disrupted his plans for a cozy afternoon with his beloved assistant yet again. Matthew growled and slipped the diamond into the pocket of his lab coat and walked towards the door. He opened it a fraction, careful to not let any unwanted guests in.</p>
<p>Before his laboratory, a tall man in a black suit and bowler hat atop messy brown locks stood. Behind the man, a black construction reminiscent of a human lurked. Matthew frowned. Maybe he should not have removed that diamond from his Ultimate Death Ray of Eternal Terror and Everlasting Existential Pain.</p>
<p>„Dr Bellamy, I presume?“</p>
<p>„Who are you?“ Matthew retorted. He nodded towards the mechanical man. „And what abomination is that?“</p>
<p>„I am Christopher Wolstenholme, I’m here on behalf of the Department of Dangerous Science Supervision.“ He turned and pointed at the black automaton. „This is a mechanical servant.“</p>
<p>Matthew frowned. „What does the DSS want? I haven’t done anything that could attract your attention in over a year.“</p>
<p>„We have an offer for you,“ Wolstenholme replied. He put his hand against the door as if to prevent Matthew from closing it; or as if to push it further open. „May I come in?“</p>
<p>„Do I even have the option to decline?“</p>
<p>Wolstenholme smiled sweetly and pressed against the door. „No.“</p>
<p>Still, Matthew resisted. He pointed at the mechanical servant. „No constructions from anyone else in my laboratory.“</p>
<p>„It’s government approved,“ Wolstenholme pointed out.</p>
<p>Matthew huffed. „Even worse, approved by ignorant idiots. This thing stays outside.“</p>
<p>„As you wish, Dr Bellamy,“ Wolstenholme sighed. He turned and lifted his hand to the mechanical servant, bidding it to stay behind. The automaton dipped it’s head and remained still when Wolstenholme followed Matthew inside and into the kitchen. </p>
<p>Matthew pointed at one of the chairs on the table and sat down on the table opposite. Wolstenholme sat down and took off the bowler hat, placing it on the table in front of him. Matthew crossed his arms and waited.</p>
<p>„The local police seems to be protecting you for some reason,“ the government lackey said. „I am here to see why and to check if you can be put onto the list of reformed mad scientists.“</p>
<p>„Reformed mad scientists,“ Matthew repeated. „Why would I want to be on such a list?“</p>
<p>„For one, you could officially stop investigations against you,“ Wolstenholme replied. „And secondly, you would receive assignments from us. After all, you still need to earn your keep.“</p>
<p>„I am earning my keep and I can deal with your investigations just fine.“</p>
<p>„Because we haven’t concentrated our efforts on you yet, Dr Bellamy.“</p>
<p>Matthew narrowed his eyes and growled, „Are you threatening me?“</p>
<p>Wolstenholme raised his hands with the appalled innocence of a wrongly accused. „I would never, Dr Bellamy, we are still hoping to win you for our cause after all.“</p>
<p>„I decline.“</p>
<p>„I must urge you to reconsider your decision, Dr Bellamy,“ Wolstenholme stated. He picked up his bowler hat and stood. „I will stay in the town’s hotel for the holidays.“</p>
<p>It was then, that a door down the corridor clicked open, followed by a shout of „No! Stay here. No, no, no! Come back!“. Metal feet clacked along the corridor and a flurry of red and brown came into the kitchen. Matthew reached up to catch the robin, just as Dominic arrived in the kitchen.</p>
<p>„Oh, you’ve caught him,“ Dominic panted. He glanced at Wolstenholme before looking at Matthew again. „I didn’t notice we’ve got another guest.“</p>
<p>„Mr Wolstenholme has been sent from the DSS and is just about to leave again,“ Matthew said. He stood and pushed the robin into Dominic’s hands. „Wait a moment,“ he whispered before his assistant turned away again. Matthew reached into his pocket to retrieve the diamond. He lifted it to show it to Dominic and then pushed it into Dominic’s pocket. „Guess you’ll need that for the next days.“</p>
<p>Dominic grinned and glanced at Wolstenholme for a brief moment, before simply muttering, „Thank you, master.“ He turned and left the kitchen, four feet tapping back into the living room.</p>
<p>„You trust your assistant with valuable gemstones,“ Wolstenholme observed.</p>
<p>„If he wasn’t trustworthy, he wouldn’t be my assistant,“ Matthew retorted and pointed at the door. He escorted Wolstenholme outside. Frowning when there was no black automaton to be seen. „Seems your assistant is not as trustworthy.“</p>
<p>Wolstenholme frowned and looked around. The mechanical servant was not to be found. „It must have gone to the hotel already.“</p>
<p>„Yeah, sure,“ Matthew grunted and closed the door. He leant against it and sighed, pulling his goggles from his head down to hang around his neck. „Bloody DSS,“ he muttered and walked towards the living room.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Matthew had fully intended to ignore Wolstenholme’s visit and spent the remaining afternoon watching Dominic decorate the tree. However, Dominic had been intimidated by the government agent and now spent the afternoon worrying about what the DSS would do in the future.</p>
<p>„Dominic, please, stop worrying,“ Matthew pleaded when Dominic was close enough for him to hold onto an arm. Matthew pulled him closer. „They’re not going to take action against me when they want something from me.“</p>
<p>„It’s the government,“ Dominic retorted and resisted the pull towards the couch. He even put his two front legs against the seat to avoid being pulled onto Matthew. „They will find ways to coerce you into complying, Matthew.“</p>
<p>„And we’ll find ways to avoid that,“ Matthew stated. He pulled on Dominic’s arm again. „Now please, I’d like to meet the Master of Bedroom before these festive days unleash their usual catastrophes upon us once again.“</p>
<p>Matthew knew he had won when Dominic’s breath hitched. Dominic grabbed Matthew’s wrist and pulled him upwards and towards the door and the staircase.</p>
<p>It was then, that screams and loud bangs were heard from the direction of the town. Matthew and Dominic stopped on their way to the bedroom and turned their heads towards the door. „Can’t we have just one Christmas all to our own?“ Matthew complained.</p>
<p>„Do you think it’s M.U.S.E. again?“</p>
<p>„That government lackey would have mentioned if they had escaped,“ Matthew replied. He sighed and turned towards the lab. „I’ll get my Ultimate Death Ray of Eternal Terror and Everlasting Existential Pain, just in case.“</p>
<p>Dominic nodded and followed him. „I’ll get the Snow Ray.“</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A column of smoke rose into the sky from the direction of the town.</p>
<p>„That’s the hotel again, isn’t it?“ Matthew asked. „At least this can’t be blamed on me this time.“</p>
<p>A black construction towered next to the building, swaying gently before turning towards the beach and into the direction of Matthew’s lab. Sheriff Palakiko, Marianne and a few other villagers were running ahead of the giant automaton.</p>
<p>„What are we going to do against this thing?“ Dominic asked.</p>
<p>„No idea,“ Matthew admitted. „Try and lure it away from the lab.“ He squinted at the automaton. „Is this thing made up of different mechanical servants?“</p>
<p>„We could stop it by removing some of them, maybe?“</p>
<p>Matthew nodded. He glanced at the Snow Ray in Dominic’s hands. „Maybe it’ll slip if you freeze the ground.“ He started running towards the advancing group of townsfolk and automaton. Dominic followed him.</p>
<p>„It’s all of the automatons!“ Palakiko shouted while advancing. „They piled up on each other and connected somehow.“</p>
<p>„Where’s that government lackey?“ Matthew shouted back.</p>
<p>„Wolstenholme tried to stop the mechanical servants,“ Marianne panted. „They ignored him.“</p>
<p>„Master!“ Dominic screamed. He pointed at the feet of the giant mechanical servant. Large spikes dug into the sand of the beach. „It won’t slip on ice.“</p>
<p>„Cease!“ Wolstenholme’s voice wafted over to them. He was limping between Robin(f) and Robin(m) who had his arms wrapped around their shoulders. „Cease and disband!“</p>
<p>„Order not authorised,“ the automaton announced, it’s voice strangely brittle for such a huge thing. It turned it’s golden gleaming eyes to Matthew. „Enemy spotted. Engage and Destroy.“</p>
<p>„What about your death rays?“ Palakiko asked. He and Marianne had reached Matthew and Dominic. The group was staring at the advancing giant as the other townspeople continued running.</p>
<p>„They work best on living matter,“ Matthew replied. „On this thing, they’d just char a few wires.“</p>
<p>„So all we can do is run from this thing?“ Marianne asked. She pushed some loose hair from her face and looked around. „There must be something else we can do.“</p>
<p>„We could wait until it runs out of power,“ Palakiko suggested.</p>
<p>„Do you know how it actually is powered?“ Matthew asked. „It could still go for hours.“</p>
<p>„We should keep going,“ Dominic shouted.</p>
<p>Matthew nodded. That automaton had approached far too close. He turned and was met with the beach and the sea. That would cut an escape rather short.</p>
<p>„It’s mechanical, isn’t it?“ Dominic asked. He too was looking at the sea.</p>
<p>Matthew nodded. „This could work. Did you equip the diamond?“</p>
<p>„Yes, Master.“</p>
<p>Matthew looked over his shoulder just in time to see a black metal hand lowering itself into his direction. He jumped sideways and scrambled to move towards the sea.</p>
<p>„What are you planning?“ Marianne shouted.</p>
<p>„Getting rid of this thing!“ Matthew replied. Running in the sand was far too exhausting and slow. He glanced at his assistant running next to him, the metal feet digging into the sand. He’d have to spent a few hours making sure those were clean after this adventure was done.</p>
<p>„You don’t think it’s going to stumble in the sand and fall head first into the sea?“ Palakiko panted.</p>
<p>„Won’t be that easy.“ Matthew stopped before the first waves licked at his shoes. „Dominic?“</p>
<p>„My pleasure,“ Dominic quipped and pointed the Snow Ray at the sea. A blue stream erupted from it, turning the waves into an uneven, ragged surface. „This might not be enough.“</p>
<p>„We’ll see about that later, come on,“ Matthew sighed. He took a step onto the creaking ice. It seemed strong enough to carry him, hopefully, it would also be strong enough to carry that automaton further into the sea. The group slowly walked onto the ice, not yet daring to run.</p>
<p>However, the automaton had made its way over the beach and was close enough to jab its hand forward and into the ice. The group ran further towards the sea until the ice cover gave way beneath Matthew’s feet. Dominic released another stream of coldness, freezing another fraction of the sea before them.</p>
<p>„How deep is the sea here?“ Matthew asked as they hurried further ahead.</p>
<p>Marianne shrugged and looked over her shoulder. „Maybe deep enough for this thing to go down to its neck.“</p>
<p>„Good enough,“ Matthew decided. He held his hand out to Dominic who quickly removed the diamond from the Snow Ray and pressed it into Matthew’s hand.</p>
<p>They avoided another blow from a giant fist that smashed the ice. Matthew stumbled on one of the frozen waves, but managed to place the diamond in it’s place in the Ultimate Death Ray of Eternal Terror and Everlasting Existential Pain. He aimed the Death Ray at the automaton’s feet and shot.</p>
<p>The ice cracked and the automaton disappeared with a loud splash. Matthew didn’t wait until it had fallen through the ice cover to remove the diamond again and throw it back to Dominic. His assistant caught the diamond and put it back into the Snow Ray. He pointed it at the automaton and shot, locking the still stuck arm and the upper body in ice.</p>
<p>„Engage and destroy target,“ the automaton’s brittle voice announced.</p>
<p>„I don’t think so,“ Matthew grunted. He pushed himself to stand and hobbled towards the head. „That salt water will do it’s job at corroding your body and your head will be dismantled.“</p>
<p>He reached down to pluck a screwdriver from his belt. He giggled. „Now, let’s see who created you, shall we?“</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A few hours later, a campfire had been lit by the beach. Laughter and screams came from the sea where a few townspeople tried to skate on the ragged ice cover. Dominic and Marianne had taken off to retrieve some wine from Matthew’s cellar. Matthew himself had found an old palm leaf and was holding it into the fire, watching as the remaining moisture in it cackled in the scorching heat.</p>
<p>„That was good team work,“ a voice next to him said.</p>
<p>Matthew looked up, his eyes bypassing the ripped trouser leg with a few reminders of blood all the way up to the government lackey. He grunted and looked back into the fire. Wolstenholme sat down next to him and groaned. He reached down to brush sand off the bandage on his leg.</p>
<p>„You approached me for help building things like that?“ Matthew pointed at the dismantled head that had been turned into a makeshift  table. „It'd have had Death Rays if I had been involved. We wouldn‘t have had a chance.“</p>
<p>„Well…“</p>
<p>Matthew turned his head and lifted an eyebrow. „Are you sure you can trust your reformed scientists?“</p>
<p>Wolstenholme shrugged. „We do question and scrutinise the scientists who are to be approved.“</p>
<p>„It’s an infallible process, I’m sure.“</p>
<p>Wolstenholme was spared an answer by the return of Dominic and Marianne. They put a few bottles of Matthew’s best wine onto the table before Dominic let himself fall into the sand next to Matthew.</p>
<p>„Marianne said we should form a crime fighting and rescue team,“ Dominic quipped cheerfully.</p>
<p>„She just wants an excuse to finally get a death ray installed.“</p>
<p>„Not true,“ Marianne called over.</p>
<p>Matthew huffed and continued watching the remnants of the burning palm leaf.</p>
<p>„Not a bad idea,“ Wolstenholme said. „I‘ll just put you down as reluctantly reformed by love. Supervision advised, not fully trustworthy. Local police can take over the supervision.“</p>
<p>„Could this be any more embarrassing?“ Matthew growled. He fell backwards into the sand and looked up at the starry sky.</p>
<p>„We need a team name!“ Robin(f) said, far too cheerfully.</p>
<p>„You’re not police,“ Matthew pointed out, despite knowing that he would be ignored.</p>
<p>„What about Misdeeds Undone, Serenity Enabled?“ her male counterpart quipped.</p>
<p>„No,“ Matthew grunted.</p>
<p>„Misjustice Undoers, Slayers of Evil!“ Robin(f) announced proudly.</p>
<p>„No,“ Matthew growled and stood. He ignored the appreciative sounds to Robin(f)’s suggestion.</p>
<p>„Is there even a name you would agree to?“ Marianne asked.</p>
<p>„No,“ Matthew replied. He bent down to grab Dominic’s hand and pulled him up. „Now excuse us, we have plans.“</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Matthew lay in the comfort of Dominic’s blanket fort and allowed himself to doze off while Dominic’s fingers stroked circles on his chest.</p>
<p>„You know, you’re not getting out of the crime fighting team,“ Dominic murmured.</p>
<p>„Not going to admit it,“ Matthew grunted.</p>
<p>He felt Dominic shifting, two metal legs moving over his body before Dominic himself came to rest on Matthew. „Not even to me?“</p>
<p>Sighing, Matthew opened his eyes to look at Dominic’s pout. He brushed his hands along the metal legs and Dominic’s body, smiling at the warm skin beneath his fingers. „Ask me again next year.“</p>
<p>Dominic reciprocated the smile broadly and dipped his head to press their lips together.</p>
<p>Maybe joining an annoying team with the most stupid name one could think off was worth it in the end just to keep one person happy.</p>
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